From The Shadows
by criminalxxxmindsxxxfreak
Summary: Women are turning up dead in the DC area and Reid realizes he has a stalker. Are the two things connected?
1. Her Savior

"_The only thing worse than seeing the person you love happy with someone else, is seeing them unhappy with you."_

Ch. 1: Her Savior

Prentiss suppressed a yawn and stood up from the conference table, stretching her stiffened limbs. "Thank God, this case is over." she said.

Hotch nodded, taking down the last of the victim photos from the evidence board. Five men dead, but they had saved anyone else from falling victim to a brutal murderer. They had caught the unsub. Terrance Hawkins. That was something to celebrate, Hotch told himself. _One killer behind bars, about twenty thousand more to go…_he thought bitterly.

But he didn't say anything aloud. It was their job to hunt down the sickest minds on the planet. It was what he liked about his job, why he had let it nearly destroy his life at certain times. Catching the bad guys was who he was, a part of him he simply couldn't relinquish. Even after it had destroyed his marriage and taken Haley, the mother of his son and the woman he loved, away from him forever.

"Anybody up for a drink?" Morgan asked, pulling his jacket on and standing.

"I'm in." Prentiss immediately volunteered, happy for anything to get the pictures of mangled bodies and Hawkins' remorseless eyes out of her head.

"Me too," Garcia said quickly, grinning up at Morgan. She welcomed any normal activity that would take her away from all the blood and murder and gore. And for a chance to spend some time with Morgan, her best friend in the world. Plus, she like the way her boyfriend, Kevin, got jealous whenever she spent time with the more… statuesque FBI agent.

"Not me," Hotch said, "I've got to get home to Jack. If I leave now, I might be able to make it home before bedtime…" He glanced wearily at his watch, wincing inwardly at the time. He was determined to prove that he could be both good at his extremely demanding job and also be a good father to his son.

"Me neither," Rossi said. "I was supposed to have a date three hours ago, and I had to cancel. Maybe if I call her now and beg for mercy, she'll give me another chance."

Morgan grinned, "Trying to find another ex-wife, huh, Rossi?" he asked.

Rossi ignored him, shooting an annoyed look in his direction before leaving the round table room.

"I can't," JJ said to Morgan's question. "I haven't seen Henry in three days and Will said that he had another ear infection." she explained, following Rossi out.

"What about you, Reid?" Morgan asked, prodding the younger man in the shoulder to get his attention. "You up for a drink or two?"

"Or five." Prentiss put in, smiling while gathering her purse and putting her badge inside.

Reid looked up at them with tired eyes. "No, guys I'm really tired. I think I'm just gonna go home, get some sleep." he said, trying, unsuccessfully to hide the yawn that escaped.

"C'mon, kid, a couple of drinks won't kill you," Morgan pressed, determined to get Reid to do something normal and non-work related.

Reid shook his head, "No, thanks, really. I'm just going to go home. I'll see you guys in the morning." he said, taking his things and heading out to the parking lot.

As Reid was pulling into his driveway his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and frowned. Unknown? Who would be calling him so late? He flipped the phone open and answered, "Hello?"

"Dr. Reid?" a woman's voice was on the other end of the line.

Surprised to hear a feminine voice on the phone it took Reid a moment to answer. "Uh, yes." he said. "Who's this?"

"Abby Baker, you remember? Charles Riley's fiancée." she explained. "You gave me your card and told me to call you if… I needed anything, right?" she sounded somewhat nervous.

Thinking back, Reid nodded. Of course he remembered Abby Baker, she had been Charles Riley, Hawkins' third victim's fiancée. Reid and Morgan had been the ones to inform her of his murder. She had not taken it well at all.

She'd screamed and cried and demanded to see Charles' body, to prove it wasn't some hideous mistake. When they'd tried to leave she had clung to Reid, begging him to tell her that it wasn't true. It had taken nearly twenty minutes to calm the hysteric woman down. Reid had given her his card and told her to call if she needed anything. He'd never expected her to actually call, especially not so late.

"Yeah, of course I remember." Reid said. "Did you need something or…"

"Just someone to talk to." she said. "I… I was thinking, about Charles. Well, thinking and crying. And drinking." she admitted sheepishly. "And I… well, I thought, since I had your number and all… you might not mind… talking for a little while."

"Of course, sure. Yeah." Reid stuttered, lack of sleep making his brain more sluggish than usual. "But, um, if you're having trouble… letting go, there are support groups and therapists –"

"I don't need any of that," Abby interrupted. "I just needed to talk to someone who understands. Like you understand. You were so kind to me the other day, when I found out about Charles. And I acted like a fool. But you… you understood. You helped me."

"Uh, well, I'm glad that I… helped you, but you know, I was just doing my job, Miss Baker." Reid explained, desperately wanting to get off the phone and go to sleep. He was so tired he could feel his eyes drooping.

"Oh, but that's not true. It's your job to catch the criminals. It's not your job to understand and make things better for the victims' families. But you did. So, thank you. You were, well, my savior, really. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there, Doctor, to remind me that there are still kind people out there who understand and that the world isn't full of people like the man who killed my Charles."

Reid nodded, "Well, um, I'm flattered, Miss Baker, but really, it's been a long day. I'm tired. Do you mind if we just… talk some other time."

"Oh, of course!" Abby said. "I'm sorry. I wasn't even thinking about the time. I'll just call you later then," she said. "Goodbye."

"Bye." Reid said, hanging up the phone gratefully and heading inside for some well deserved rest. He didn't notice the small four door Mercury parked across the street from his house, where a woman sat, holding a cell phone, watching him from the shadows.


	2. Bodies In The Woods

Ch. 2: Bodies in the Woods

She watched the woman, a tall red haired woman who worked at a local coffee shop, step out of her car in the parking lot of her apartment building. Her name was Cheryl.

She too stepped out of her car, holding a knife tightly in her right hand; a gun weighing down her coat pocket. She walked up quietly behind Cheryl, who was leaning into her car to get her purse.

Glancing around, making sure that no one was watching, that not one window was lit up, she twisted the weapon in her hands and grabbed a handful of the other woman's hair, yanking her out of the car. Before Cheryl had a chance to react, to scream or fight back, she had rammed the knife into her throat. Then again, she stabbed the woman who was gurgling for breath and clinging desperately to life.

She had no chance, though. As the knife tore into her throat, her chest, her stomach and even her face, her vision went black and her lungs filled with blood as she died.

Covered in blood, a grim smile on her lips, she dragged Cheryl's body to her car and opened the trunk. A sheet of painter's tarp was already in place to protect the car's interior. Stronger than she looked, she heaved Cheryl's body into the trunk and drove away.

The next morning, Cheryl's car was discovered in the parking lot by a neighbor, covered in her blood, door wide open. A trail of blood lead to what must've been where the killer parked. But where was Cheryl's body? Why had it been taken?

Reid woke up the next morning to the sound of his cell phone ringing. Expecting it to be a call from the BAU about another case, he was surprised when he glanced at the caller ID and once again saw Unknown flashing on the screen.

"Hello," he answered, sitting up in bed and stretching.

"Dr. Reid!" it was Abby again, sounding much less nervous and much more sober than she had the night before. "I know it's early, but I hoped, well… um," now she sounded nervous. "You wouldn't mind going out for coffee this morning, would you? I'm, uh, in town visiting my sister, Audrey. You remember her? I'm trying to take my mind off of Charles and Audrey had to be at work early so…"

Reid's eyes widened, surprised by the offer. "Um, well…" he paused, trying to think of a diplomatic way to say no. Finally, he decided that coffee wouldn't kill him. "I have a little time before work. You could meet me at the coffee shop on Cranston Street in a half hour. Do you know where that is?"

"Yes," Abby sounded elated. "I'll meet you there."

She hung up and Reid ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't used to women actually asking to go on dates with him… though, to be fair, this wasn't technically a date.

He got ready quickly and headed to his car. The front door didn't open easily. He frowned and pushed against the resistance. On the door step was a small box with a note tied to the top. Ignoring the note for the moment, Reid picked up the box and opened it. Inside was a book. He frowned and pulled it out. It was a leather bound edition of the Canterbury Tales. He hadn't read that book in years…

Turning his attention back to the note he read:

"_My dearest Spencer,_

_I hope you like the book. I thought you might enjoy it, but knowing your astounding mind, you've likely already read it._

_With eternal, endearing love,_

_Your guardian angel."_

Eyes widening in shock, Reid looked up and glanced around, wondering if whoever had left the gift was still there. He didn't see anyone unfamiliar or out of place. He put the box and note on the table inside and had an odd tingling feeling on the back of his neck.

Could he have a stalker? He wondered. But no, that was stupid. Besides, a book was hardly anything to get jumpy about. He brushed the strange gift out of his mind and got into his car, determined that he not be late meeting Abby.

He spotted her immediately when he entered the small shop. She was sitting at a small table next to the window, two cups of coffee in front of her. When she saw him approaching she beamed. "Dr. Reid!" she said as he sat down. "I already ordered coffee for you. I remembered you liked sugar… I hope that's alright." she said quickly, nervous again.

He smiled and nodded, taking the cup. "Of course. Thank-you." he said, trying to be polite. The woman before him look so lost, her wide brown eyes rimmed with red from her tears, her short blonde hair tied back in a messy bun.

"I know you must be wondering why I called you." she said, looking down at her cup rather than meeting his eyes. "And you probably think it's silly, but you just… you remind me a little of Charles and… well, that, I guess, helps me, you know? I mean, I know you're not him, but there are… similarities and I just… I hoped that talking to you might, um, help me to… move on, you know?"

Reid nodded kindly, letting her babble. He understood her need to cling to someone for a while, and though he wasn't entirely comfortable with all the attention, he certainly wasn't going to make her life harder by pushing her away.

They talked for a few more minutes while drinking their coffee. Well, Abby talked. Mostly about Charles. Reid could tell she had really loved her fiancé, her eyes welling up with tears whenever she mentioned his name. Somehow, she still managed to have the strength to smile every now and then though, despite her recent loss. Charles had died only about three and a half weeks ago.

"So," she said, wiping her eyes carefully on a napkin before continuing. "What's it like? Your job? It must be so frightening, dealing with all those killers…"

Reid's laugh was tinged with bitterness. _Scary, dangerous… down right blood churning. _He thought, but he didn't say that. That would've been far too harsh. "It has it's moments," he said. "But at least it's never boring." he offered. "Plus, I like knowing that I'm doing something good in this world."

Abby nodded, "That makes sense. Still, it's such a dangerous job…"

They were interrupted by the ringing of Reid's phone. It was JJ. "What's up?" he asked, putting the phone to his ear and smiling apologetically to Abby.

"We've got a case. It's pretty bad. Hotch wants everyone in the round table room now." JJ said quickly.

"I'll be there in about ten minutes." Reid promised, hanging up.

"Speak of the devil," Abby smiled sadly.

Reid nodded, "Yeah. I gotta go. Um, here's some money for the –"

"Oh, no. I'll pay for your coffee. You go. You've got bad guys to catch. Go make the world a better place." she grinned then, forcing her sadness and disappointment down.

He smiled, "Thank-you." he said, standing. "Bye." Reid called over his shoulder as he half ran to his car. Another case… they'd just finished a bad case. Could they really be asked to handle another? He knew that was a stupid and selfish thought, but it wasn't like a person can really control what they think.

The team was already in the conference room, waiting for him when he got there. As soon as he sat down, JJ turned on the monitor in front of them and displayed crime scene photos and more happy pictures of the victims from _before _they'd been mangled and killed. "This is Terry Michaels, Michelle Locke and Cheryl Brandon." she said, flipping through the happy pictures.

"In the last three weeks all three were attacked outside of their homes, killed and dumped in the woods outside of D.C. Cheryl Brandon's body was found this morning. All three were stabbed numerous times in the face, chest, throat and abdomen. The first victim, Terry Michaels, was also shot twice before she was stabbed."

"Shot? The other two victims were only stabbed, why would she be shot?" Prentiss asked.

"Well it was the first murder, maybe the unsub wasn't sure he could overpower her, so he shot her first to make sure he had her subdued, but then decided that he preferred the knife to the gun." Morgan suggested.

"Was there any other connection between the women besides their relative age and murders?" Hotch asked, studying the photos. "None of these women look alike. Serial killers usually stick to a very specific victim type."

"Nothing has been discovered yet." JJ answered. "Terry Michaels was a young mother working as a waitress in a local restaurant; Michelle Locke was a student at Georgetown who lived in the city with her older sister and Cheryl Brandon worked at a coffee shop down the street."

"Yeah, I recognize her," Reid said. "I was at the coffee shop this morning."

"Stabbing them in the face…" Rossi said. "That's personal."

"And the multiple, unnecessary stab wounds suggests rage. This guy's angry." Morgan said, picking up a file and looking over the pictures.

"Alright, Prentiss, you and Reid go to this morning's dumpsite. Rossi, you and Morgan go to Cheryl Brandon's apartment building. JJ, you and I will meet up with Detective Holden. Garcia, start looking into the victims' pasts. Let us know if you find any way that they may have crossed paths."

"I'm on it," Garcia said, jumping up from her seat and hurrying to her office, glad to get away from the graphic and bloody crime scene photos. Given their tasks, the team broke off and set out to figure out why these women had been so brutally murdered.


	3. A Hole In The Profile

**I didn't plan on adding another chapter today, but I had some extra time and since I've gotten a few positive reviews already, I figured what the heck. Glad to know people are enjoying it. **

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who added this to their favs and reviewed! :) its good to know people like it. I just wanted to say that I know absolutely nothing about the geography of DC or any places in the world that I haven't actually been to, so if I mention a street, store or specific place it's completely fictious. Anyway, thanks for reading! please review! :) I'll update as fast as i can! Also, this chapter is longer than the first two and I honestly have no idea why I never noticed that when I wrote it. It's about twice as long as they are, but still pretty short, in my opinion.**

Ch. 3: A Hole in the Profile

Cheryl's body was still lying in a pile of bloody leaves, having been discovered only a few hours earlier. Reid and Prentiss met with Detective Davidson, a small woman in her early forties with graying black hair.

"She was found this morning by a hiker," the detective explained as the three of them walked closer to the body. "We searched the area for tire treads, but there weren't any; the path's too small for any vehicle other than a small ATV maybe. And the area is frequented by hikers, so there was a lot of underbrush stirred up already."

Prentiss nodded, kneeling down next to the body. "And she wasn't moved, right?" she asked, trying to avoid looking into Cheryl's lifeless eyes.

Detective Davidson shook her head, "No. A neighbor reported the blood at her car and we assume that was where she was attacked, probably where she was killed, but why would the killer bring her out here?"

Reid looked around at the trees, "It's secluded." he said. "Maybe the unsub was trying to delay the body's discovery." he suggested.

"Unsub?" the detective asked.

"Um, the killer." Reid explained.

"Well, _maybe_ he was trying to keep the body hidden longer, but there are easier ways to do that. And like Detective Davidson said, this place is frequented by hikers so the body's discovery wasn't really delayed that long." Prentiss said, standing.

Reid nodded in agreement. "True." he said. "But there aren't many other reason's to bring the bodies all the way out here. Not unless the point was to cut down on the shock value. But why would he do that? Generally, serial killers want attention and recognition for what they've done. The higher the shock value, the better."

"So maybe this unsub doesn't want attention?" Prentiss suggested. "Maybe he's killing for another reason."

* * *

Morgan and Rossi pulled into the parking lot where Cheryl Brandon had been attacked. It wasn't hard to find the place; yellow crime scene tape still cornered off the area. A young officer was waiting for them.

"You must be the FBI," he said as they approached.

Morgan nodded. "I'm Agent Morgan, this is Agent Rossi." he introduced them

"Detective Shale," the young man said, offering his hand. "This," he motioned to where a pool of blood still lay, "is where the victim's car was discovered at around six o'clock this morning, a couple of hours before her body was found. The car was processed and we've come up blank. Same as the other murders." Detective Shale explained.

Morgan and Rossi nodded. "So the unsub attacked her here, outside of her apartment. He probably watched her for a while, knew her routine. He probably attacked her when she got out of her car, when her back was to him."

"When she was most vulnerable," Rossi agreed. "Could we talk to the neighbor who discovered the car?" he asked the detective. "Maybe we can find out if she usually gets home so late. The coroner put her time of death somewhere around midnight, right?"

Detective Shale nodded, "Yeah, sure." he said. "She lives on the second floor." he said, leading them toward the building.

* * *

Hotch and JJ met with Detective Holden inside the D.C. police precinct. "I just wanna say thank you for helping us with this case," the detective told them, shaking Hotch's hand.

"We're always glad to help," Hotch told him. "Is this your evidence board?" he asked, turning his full attention to the cluster of crime scene photos and witness statements.

"Yeah. I know it's not much. The only solid evidence we really have are the bullets that were lodged inside of the first victim, Terry Michaels."

Nodding, not really hearing what the detective had said, Hotch turned to face him again. "I want to run the investigation through our office at Quantico." he said. "We'll keep you updated, of course, but it would be easier for us."

"Of course." the detective nodded. "Anything you need." he said. "We can get you files and suspect lists immediately."

"We generally don't like to look at suspects until we've developed a profile." JJ explained. "It helps keep everything unbiased."

Detective Holden nodded, "Alright then. We'll get everything sent over to Quantico for you right away then, Agent Hotchner."

Hotch nodded, "I appreciate it." he said. "We'll let you know when we have a profile ready."

* * *

The team met back up in the round table room. "Garcia, what did you find?" Hotch asked as they sat down.

"Zilch." Garcia said sourly, unhappy with the fact that she hadn't been able to find anything connecting the victims yet. "As far as I can tell, these women never crossed paths. They shopped at different stores, worked in different areas of town. They didn't even use the same dry cleaner… If this sicko somehow found a connection, my babies aren't telling me what it is."

Hotch nodded, disappointed. "Keep working on it. Maybe you'll find something."

"We talked to Clarissa Foley, the neighbor who found Cheryl Brandon's car. She said that Cheryl got home late every night, so the unsub probably watched her and knew her routine. And she was definitely murdered in the parking lot. There's no way that she could've survived losing that much blood." Morgan explained.

"The dump site was a high traffic area. Hikers used the trail often," Reid said. "So it's doubtful that he's trying to hide the bodies."

"But," Prentiss added, "He might be removing the bodies from the scene because he ambushes them outside of their homes, in highly public places which we think means he might want to cut down on the shock of a mangled body in a parking lot or front yard."

"But don't serial killers usually _want _to shock and scare people?" JJ asked.

"Normally yes," Hotch answered. "But this unsub seems to be killing for a completely different reason. The shock and fear these murders create aren't important to him. If we could find a connection between the victims, we would know what is important to him about them.

"Reid, I want you to start working on a geographic profile, see if you can narrow down a comfort zone. Prentiss can help you. Morgan, you and I will work victimology and JJ, I want you and Rossi to talk to Michelle Locke's sister and Terry Michaels' family, see what you can find and let us know."

Once again armed with their tasks, the team split up to do their separate jobs.

* * *

Reid marked each murder site on the map, and then Prentiss read out the locations where each body was found. "Do you think he's dumping them in the woods to degrade them?" Prentiss asked as he continued to mark the map.

Reid shrugged, connecting the lines carefully. "I don't know. It doesn't really seem like it though," he said. "The actual murders feel angry. The unsub absolutely mangled them, but the bodies weren't placed behind a dumpster or left outside of their homes for all the world to see. It wouldn't be considered and act of remorse, but I don't think he's degrading them by placing the bodies in the woods. I think it's something else… maybe he's trying to get them out of town. I don't really know."

He finished connecting the lines on the map and studied the area contained within the three murder sites and then the dump sites. "I think the unsub is somewhere in this area," he said, motioning to the area between the murder sites. "The dump sites area remote, outside of the city and in the woods."

Prentiss nodded, "Probably." she agreed.

Reid was looking at the area and frowning. "What's wrong?" she asked, nudging his arm when he didn't respond.

"Nothing." he said quickly, turning his attention away from the map. He was lying. What he hadn't said was that in the center of the unsub's comfort zone, was his house. That had to be a coincidence though, nothing more. He could be incredibly stubborn when he wanted to be.

* * *

The team gathered together again after a short lunch break. "Victimology isn't getting us very far." Morgan said. "The victims are all female, all in their early thirties or late twenties and they all live or work in the D.C. area. Other than that, we've got nothing. They didn't share similar interests, financial records or jobs. As far as we can tell, there is nothing significant connecting them except the fact that they were all murdered by the unsub."

"Garcia still hasn't been able to find anything either," Hotch said. "And until we can find a solid connection, we're stuck with a big hole in the profile. Why these women?"

"We talked with Michelle's sister. She was in her second year at Georgetown and was taking criminal justice classes. She was interested in profiling and joining the FBI. And according to Terry Michaels' mother, she was a quiet women who worked hard and sometimes had to struggle to make payments and take care of her daughter. She dropped out of high school when she got pregnant at age seventeen." Rossi said.

"And from what we were able to find out about Cheryl Brandon, she worked at the coffee shop for years and had recently enrolled in an art class downtown." JJ said.

"What about the geographic profile?" Hotch asked.

"Well," Prentiss said, "We have it narrowed down to this area." she traced a finger around the red circle on the map. "He's probably living somewhere in here, and we've got Garcia checking to see where he may have met the victims."

"Alright." Hotch said. "Let's talk about the murders themselves then, see where that get's us."

"Well, he uses a knife," Morgan said. "That could mean he's impotent. And the first victim was shot twice before she was stabbed, so he's probably not a big guy and didn't know for sure if he could over power her before he killed her."

"The stab wounds in the face are personal and angry. This guy really hates these women." Rossi said.

"They were all attacked outside of their home, late at night. That suggests that the unsub watched the victims before he killed them." Reid said.

"The victims are all in their late twenties or early thirties," Prentiss put in. "I'd say our unsub is around the same age as they are. Probably a little older though. Early to mid-thirties."

"If he's watching them, he's got to have a car," Hotch said. "One big enough to put a body in, but not so big that's it's noticeable."

"The murders are always at night, and the bodies are dumped shortly after that." Reid said. "The unsub probably has a job."

"He doesn't stand out in a crowd either," said Morgan. "No one has noticed this guy hanging around the victims' work places or homes."

Hotch nodded, "Ok, that's good." he said. "But we're still missing something. Why did the unsub pick these women to kill? We need to find that connection."

The team looked at each other, all just as confused as they had been earlier. What did the unsub see in these women that made him so angry he had to kill them? What were they missing?


	4. Dinner and a Murder

**A/N: Once again thanks to everyone who reviewed this story! :) glad your liking it so far. Please Review!**

Ch. 4: Dinner and a Murder

Reid got home at a considerably better time than he had the night before and gratefully locked the door behind him as he entered his home. He headed toward the living room then paused, hearing something crackle under his foot.

Looking down he saw an envelope with his name written in the same loopy cursive that the letter from that morning had been written in. Frowning and ignoring the rush of fear that chilled his spine, he bent and picked it up.

Opening the envelope and turning it over in his hand, two sheets of paper fell out. One was a letter reading:

"_Once more, to my dearest Spencer,_

_It's been an eventful day for you, hasn't it darling? Three murders… how awful! I can't imagine how you deal with all those terrible crime scenes and blood. All those awful murderers! But you are so brilliant, I'm sure it's not hard for you at all. I simply cannot stay away from you much longer, Spencer. I feel like we've been apart for far too long. But that will be all over soon, I promise. I just have to_ _get rid of the rest of your… distractions. Then we can be together forever, like we should be._

_With eternal and compassionate love,_

_Your guardian angel."_

Feeling his blood begin to chill in his veins, Reid looked at the other paper that had been in the envelope. It was a picture of him at the coffee shop. It had been taken a few days ago… he was talking to the woman behind the counter. He was almost certain that his heart had stopped beating for a moment when he saw that it was Cheryl Brandon.

He definitely had a stalker… But, who? And was the picture of him and Cheryl just a coincidence, or had that been what his stalker was talking about when she said she had to take care of the rest of his 'distractions'?

He jumped at the sound of his cell phone ringing. He didn't bother to look at the caller ID this time when he answered it. "Hello?" he asked, angry with himself when he heard the tremor in his voice. He shouldn't be so scared over a little note… but being a profiler for so long, he knew just how badly stalker situations could turn out.

"It's Abby," he heard her familiar voice on the other end of the line and calmed down almost immediately. "I was just… well, you're probably busy, but I was wondering if… maybe you might want to go out to dinner tonight? Or, whenever is a good time for you." she added the last part quickly, sounding nervous and insecure.

Happy for the distraction, Reid smiled. "Sure." he said, trying to hide his awkwardness, still not entirely used to being asked to go out like that. "I'm, uh, actually free right now. If that's good for you. I could, um… pick you up at your sister's house. There's a, uh, good restaurant in town that I go to when I get time to, if that's alright."

"Great!" Abby almost yelped, then, catching herself, she said, "I mean. That'd be great. I can be ready in about a half hour. If that's not too soon."

"No, no, not at all." Reid said, wondering how on earth he had ever managed to get a date - and this time he was definitely considering it a date; though maybe not a romantic date - with a woman as beautiful as Abby Baker. "I'll pick you up then."

Abby rattled off her sister's address and gave him quick directions before hanging up and leaving Reid to ponder both this elating change in circumstances and the more chilling revelation that he had a stalker that may also be a murderer…

* * *

The restaurant was brightly lit and bustling with activity. "It's nice here," Abby remarked after they had ordered their meals.

Reid nodded, still nervous. "Yeah, I uh, I come here a lot." he said. "Their food is good and the people are friendly."

Abby smiled. "I can tell," she said, looking around at the paintings that were decorating the walls. A sweet, low melody was playing over the speaker system.

They talked quietly together, mostly about their lives. Somehow, Abby had Reid talking about personal things that had been difficult for him to reveal to anyone, including the team. "Yeah," he said, looking down instead of at her. "I uh, graduated high school when I was twelve." he said sheepishly.

"No way!" Abby's eyes widened. "That's amazing! I could hardly imagine graduating at sixteen, like this girl in our class did. How could you be only twelve?" she asked.

He blushed, "Uh, well… I have an IQ of 187." he explained. "I sort of… skipped a few grades." He smiled again, still not quite looking her in the eye.

She laughed, "I'd say more than a few." she said. "Wow. 187? That's a big number. I can't imagine what it's like to be that smart."

Reid shrugged, uncomfortable with the attention. "It has it moments." he said. "But I have an eidetic memory, too. Which is a blessing and a curse. I remember everything, whether I want to or not."

"Oh." Abby said, sobering up. "I can imagine, with your job, that there are certainly things you would want to forget."

Reid nodded, "I've seen some pretty bad stuff." He said, forcing himself to make eye contact and _not_ think about any of those times when his job had nearly gotten him killed.

Seeing his discomfort, Abby changed the subject, "So, um, do you like to read?" she asked. "I just finished reading this book series called _Wicked,_ about these ancient warlocks and these two teenagers who fall in love despite the fact that the boy's father is totally evil…"

"I uh, I do read a lot. Not the stuff that most people read though. I read a lot of technical books and really old classic stuff. My mother used to teach fifteenth century literature so I've read a lot of that as well."

"Oh," Abby said, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "I don't think I've read anything from that time period. Your mother was a teacher?" she asked.

"Well, uh… she was a professor. She taught until…" he paused, realizing what he was saying. He hadn't even wanted to tell the team about his mother's schizophrenia, why was he about to tell this woman who he hardly knew?

"Until…?" Abby prodded when he didn't finish his sentence. "What's wrong?"

Reid cleared his throat, "She taught until her schizophrenia forced her to quit." he said, his voice tighter than before.

Abby's face suddenly filled with understanding and pity. "Oh." she said quietly. "I'm so sorry…" she searched for something else to say, something to make him feel better. "That must've been hard to deal with."

Reid shrugged, "I took care of her whenever she couldn't. She, uh, she's in a sanitarium now. I write her a lot. Everyday. She's not so bad, really." he said, trying desperately not to let his emotions show. He still wasn't entirely sure why he was even reveling all of this to Abby. She was practically a stranger, but there was something about her eyes that made him feel… at ease. Comfortable.

"You took care of her?" Abby asked. "What about your father?"

Reid's face darkened, "He left when I was ten." he said bitterly.

Abby bit her lip, hating herself for bringing the subject up then. "I'm so sorry." she said quietly.

Reid shrugged, "It's ok." he said. "I guess I didn't really need him anyway, since he was never there for me."

Abby nodded, "For what it's worth, I think you turned out all right."

Reid smiled. "Thanks." he said.

They talked and ate for about an hour and a half longer, neither realizing how late it was until the restaurant was almost completely empty.

* * *

As Reid pulled into the driveway, Abby turned to him and smiled. "Thank you, Spencer." she said. "You really helped me keep my mind off of Charles… I had a great time."

Reid smiled, "So did I," he said, feeling awkward again.

Abby laughed lightly, "Well, um, … goodnight." she said, opening the door of his car and starting to slide out. Then, with a look of determination on her face, she turned back to face him and planted a quick kiss on his lips, smiling.

Eyes widening in shock, Reid stuttered, "G-good night."

Abby laughed at his slightly red face as she got out of the car and hurried up the walk to her sister's front door.

Thoughts racing, Reid watched as she entered before backing out and driving back to his own house. The night had certainly taken an unexpected turn for the better, he thought as he unlocked his door.

His good mood faded slightly when his eyes fell on the two letters that still sat on the table in his living room. He had almost forgotten about the stalker. He would show the team the letters in the morning and get their take on things. He desperately wanted to be wrong about this, though he knew that he wasn't.

* * *

She watched as he unlocked the front door and entered his home, smiling contentedly before driving away. _Soon._ She thought. Soon, she would be with him and nothing would separate them.

But then her jaw set in a hard line as she thought back to earlier that night. He was so concerned about those dead women, the ones who had thrown themselves at him like whores… Why? It wasn't supposed to be like that. He was supposed to pay more attention to her, not them!

She had to work faster, to get rid of all those distractions sooner. She pushed her foot down on the gas and sped down the road until she pulled up across from a small house on a narrow, dark street.

Less than a half hour later, she saw Belinda Jonson start to get out of her car and she did the same, holding the knife in her hands just as she had the night before.

Coming up behind the unsuspecting woman, she put a hand tightly around her mouth to stop her from screaming before she ripped open Belinda's throat with the knife.

* * *

Once again, Reid's cell phone woke him up. Briefly, he considered not answering it, but knew that it was probably from the BAU. "Hello." he answered.

"Reid it's Prentiss. There was another murder last night. Hotch wants me and you to go straight to the dump site. He and Rossi are going to the other scene. I'll meet you there," she said, rattling off directions to the area where the fourth victim's body had been dumped.

"Ok, I'll meet you there." he said, pushing back the covers and hurrying to get dressed. Another murder so soon meant that the unsub could be devolving… that was not a good thing. The last thing D.C. needed was a killer running around in a psychotic frenzy.

He found yet another letter on his door step when he left. This time tied to a book of old poetry that his mother had once read to him. The letter was the same as the first, saying that she hoped he liked the gift and that she couldn't wait until they were together again.

Looking around, trying to find anything out of place, Reid frowned. How had he not noticed someone watching him? He shook his head and put the letter and book in his car with the others, deciding that he had to show them to the rest of the team before this got out of hand.

* * *

Belinda Jonson's body was lying face up in a pile of leaves, just like the others. Prentiss was waiting for him when he got there. "Rapid escalation," she said when he approached. "That's bad. And we still aren't even sure of what their connection might be. Garcia's checking in her past but -"

"I might have an idea." Reid interrupted, his stomach churning at the sight of the young woman. She had been his waitress at the restaurant the night before.

"Really?" Prentiss asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I'll explain when we get back to the office. I've got something to show the team."

Curious now, Prentiss nodded. "Alright then. Let's finish up here."


	5. A Shot In The Dark

**A/N: Okay, super glad that people are still liking this story... and trust me when I say that things get really interesting here... Thanks again for all of reviews! promise I'll update as fast as I can :)**

Ch. 5: A Shot in the Dark

"Alright, Reid, let's hear it. What's this theory of yours?" Morgan asked once the team was all together again.

Sighing heavily, Reid pulled out the three letters that he'd received and handed them to Hotch. "I got the first one yesterday morning. The second one last night, and then the last one this morning." he explained.

"What is it?" Rossi asked as Hotch's face grew more and more worried while reading the letters.

"Reid has a stalker." he answered simply, passing the notes to Rossi.

"What?" Morgan asked, looking up at Reid, "Why didn't you tell us?" he demanded.

"Because I didn't even know for sure until last night." he said quickly, "After I got the second letter, I started to think about the murders. It can't be a coincidence. I'm the connection. I go the coffee shop where Cheryl Brandon worked all the time. I guest lecture at Georgetown, where Michelle Locke went to school. And I go to the restaurants where Belinda Jonson and Terry Michaels worked often. I didn't put it together until I got the second letter though."

"So the unsub is a woman?" JJ asked.

"Female serial killers are rare," Prentiss said, studying the letters. "But these notes were definitely written by a woman, and like Reid said, this can't be a coincidence."

"'_I just have to get rid of the rest of your… distractions. Then we can be together forever,'_" Rossi read from the second letter. "She sounds serious. And after last night's murder, only a day after the last one, I'd say she feels like she's getting close to getting rid of those distractions."

"Do you think she'll go after Reid?" Morgan asked.

Hotch frowned, "I don't know. It seems likely. And we all know how these situations usually end up. Reid, from now on I don't want you to go anywhere without one of us. Not until we catch this woman."

Reid frowned, hating being treated like a child, "I don't need to be babysat," he said.

"We're not babysitting you, Reid." Hotch said. "You know how bad this could get. We're going to make sure that it doesn't get that bad."

Frustrated, Reid nodded. He knew Hotch was right, but he still didn't like the idea of being treated like he was helpless. He could take care of himself… But, at the same time, he was definitely glad that he wouldn't have to deal with this alone.

"And now that we have the connection between the victim's, we can give the detectives a full profile." Morgan said.

* * *

Prentiss sat across the table from Reid. The two of them had been trying to narrow down a better list of suspects… the only trouble was, Reid hadn't noticed anyone unfamiliar hanging around his house. No one stood out to him.

Putting his head down he sighed, "This isn't getting us anywhere." he muttered.

Prentiss put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry Reid, we'll catch her, alright? We always do."

Reid decided not to mention that sometimes they only caught stalkers after they'd killed the object of their obsession. He was trying very hard not to be bitter or negative about this.

"Why don't we take a break?" Prentiss asked. "Go grab some lunch. Hotch and Morgan'll be back from talking to Belinda Jonson's family soon; JJ and Rossi should be back from the station anytime. Garcia's probably still checking into Belinda's past. We can order something for them and bring it back."

"You just want to get me out of here." Reid said.

"Well, yeah." Prentiss admitted. "It would probably help if you weren't surrounded by crime scene photos of women who were killed because someone is obsessed with you."

Reid smiled, "Fine." he said. "I guess it can't hurt."

* * *

She sat in a dark corner of the restaurant, watching people go in and out. He came here sometimes for lunch. She wondered if he would come today… maybe she could talk to him if he did. But what would she say?

She suddenly sat up straighter, spotting him as he walked in. He looked tired, but he was smiling. Talking to someone… NO! He was talking to another woman! How could he do that to her?

Gripped with sudden rage, she slipped her hand inside her coat pocket and wrapped her fingers around the gun, not entirely sure what she was going to do. She stood and walked closer to the door. She could see the two of them clearer now, standing at the counter.

Her jaw tightened. He couldn't do this to her. She wouldn't allow him to have any distractions. She slowly pulled her hand out of her pocket, her finger poised just over the trigger.

Taking aim, her eyes angry and full of bitter tears, she pulled the trigger. Panic erupted around her and in the chaos she ducked out of the door and walked calmly to her car, her mind once again at ease.

* * *

People were screaming and running. Reid had been gripped with a very real fear at the sound of the gun shot. Had anyone been hit? He looked around, dazed slightly. Then he heard a groan of pain at his feet. Prentiss… _Oh God…_

He knelt down by her side immediately to assess the damage. "Are you ok?" he asked, placing a hand just above her waist, where she had been hit.

She shook her head, "No." she winced. "What happened?"

He looked around the shop again, trying to see if the shooter was still there. "I don't know," he answered, pulling out his cell phone. The cashier had already called 911, but Reid needed to call Hotch.

* * *

"Hotchner," he answered.

"Hotch, it's Reid. Prentiss was just shot. We're at the sub shop down the block from the BAU. Paramedics are already on their way."

"Shot? What? How?" Hotch demanded, yanking the wheel sharply to the right and heading in the direction of the shop.

Morgan looked at him from the passenger seat, frowning. "Who was shot?" he demanded. "Hotch what happened?"

"Alright, we'll meet you at the hospital." Hotch said, hanging up. "Prentiss was shot." he grimly answered Morgan's question. "Call Rossi, tell him and JJ to meet us at the hospital. And call Garcia."

* * *

Reid was pacing nervously in the waiting room when the rest of the team arrived.

"How is she?" Rossi asked.

"She's in surgery. The Doctor said the bullet might've torn through her intestine, but he wouldn't be sure until he went in."

"Did either of you see the shooter?" Hotch asked.

"No." Reid said. "We were talking at the counter, waiting to order when the shot went off. Then everyone started panicking and whoever it was must've gotten away in the middle of all the chaos."

"Do we think this is connected to the case?" JJ asked, sitting down with her hands clenched in her lap.

"For now, we're going to have to assume that," Hotch said. "It's too big of a coincidence that Prentiss would be shot while we're investigating a serial killer who's also stalking Reid. Maybe she viewed Prentiss as a threat when she saw her with Reid today."

"We'll see if we can match the bullet to the ones found in Terry Michaels," Rossi said.

"Garcia, when we go back to Quantico check the restaurant's security footage, maybe they got something." Morgan said.

Garcia nodded, her eyes wide and panicked. "I will use all my powers of technology to find this psycho." she promised.

The surgeon walked up then. "Emily Prentiss?" he asked the group.

"Yes," Hotch said, standing.

"The bullet grazed her small intestine, but she was lucky. No major organs were hit and she should be able to leave in a few days. We're taking her to her room now, you'll be able to see her soon, but she's still sedated."

Nodding, Hotch asked, "Did you recover the bullet?"

"Yes, it's here," the doctor handed him a small bag containing a still slightly bloody bullet.

"Thank you." Hotch said. Turning to Morgan, "Morgan, I want you to get this over to Quantico now. See if they can match it to the other bullets. Garcia, go with him and start looking into that security footage"

Nodding, Morgan took the bullet and he and Garcia hurried out.

"We're gonna catch her, aren't we?" JJ asked, looking from face to face.

Hotch answered, "Yes. I just hope we do before someone else gets hurt. Hopefully, Garcia will find something on those tapes."

"If anyone can, it's Garcia." Reid said.

"And for now, I don't you to be alone with Reid, JJ. The unsub could view you as a threat too and go after you."

Reid felt sick, his head spinning. Had Prentiss really been shot because of him? He hated the idea that she could've been attacked just because she had been with him. His mind wandered back to the night before, with Abby. Could she be in danger too? The unsub had killed the waitress from the restaurant, what if she went after Abby too?

Pulling out his cell phone he dialed her number and waited, silently begging her to pick up the phone. But she didn't. It went straight to voicemail. That didn't mean anything, he told himself. She was probably busy, having fun with her sister. But he couldn't stop that feeling of dread from trickling into his stomach. What if Abby were in danger?


	6. From The Shadows

**A/N: Once again, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! Please continue to do that! I appriciate critisism (as long as it's constuctive) and I'm glad that I've gotten some of that. Thanks.**

Ch. 6: From the Shadows…

"The bullet was a match to the two found in the first victim," Morgan said once the team was together. "It was definitely our unsub."

"And I went over that footage again and again," Garcia said, frowning. "Her face was never visible on any of the tapes. All I can tell you is that she's 5'5½" and has dark blond hair."

"Well that's more than we had before," Rossi said. "It's something."

"This is getting out of hand," Hotch said. "JJ, have you prepared a press conference yet?"

JJ nodded, "Yeah, I called the local media already. They should be here soon."

"Alright, the tip line's already been set up. It's late. Morgan, why don't you take Reid home and we'll all get some rest after the press conference."

Reid frowned, "Hotch, I can drive myself home." he protested.

"I told you, Reid, until we catch this woman, I don't want you to be left alone. If she gets a chance, you know she could go after you; she's already killed four women and shot a federal agent. Do you want to risk a face to face confrontation with her?"

Reid sighed, knowing he was right, but still hating being treated like a helpless child.

* * *

"You don't have an alarm system?" Morgan asked as he and Reid entered his house.

"No. Never needed one. I lock the door with a deadbolt and that's it." Reid explained, shutting the door behind them.

"Well, point the way to the couch then, kid. I'm beat."

Reid frowned, "Seriously, Morgan, go home. You don't have to stay here, you know."

"No way, Reid. You've got a crazed stalker killing people to get closer to you. Hotch doesn't want you alone, and neither do I. Until we catch her, I'm staying here."

Reid frowned, "Why does everyone keep treating me like I'm a little kid?" he demanded. "I can take care of myself."

"Hey, c'mon, kid, no one is saying that you can't take care of yourself. We're all worried about you. Use that brain of yours and think logically. If you're never alone, the stalker doesn't have the opportunity to _get_ you alone like she wants."

Reid sighed. He was tired of thinking logically. He wanted to be irrational for once. "Fine." he said. "The couch is through there. I'll get you some blankets."

* * *

Reid woke up later that night, hearing a quiet scraping sound from somewhere outside. He sat up groggily and pushed back the blanket.

He walked passed Morgan, who was still asleep on the couch. He half stumbled his way to the front door, trying to keep his heart in check. Should he wake Morgan? No. He kept his gun next to the front door, and if he did need Morgan, all he had to do was yell.

Looking out the peephole in the front door he saw nothing and frowned. What had that noise been? Probably just his imagination, he reasoned. Suddenly, he felt a hand clamp down tightly over his mouth.

Panicked, Reid started to reach for his gun but the sharp point of a knife pressed against his throat stopped him.

"You don't need that silly thing, Spencer," a strangely familiar voice crooned behind him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Reid didn't move, frozen in terror. He glanced towards the living room where Morgan still lay asleep and wondered how she had gotten into the house.

"It's ok, sweetheart," she whispered, pressing the knife more tightly against his neck. "We can be together now. Forever. Just be really quiet, ok?" When Reid didn't respond, she tightened her grip on the knife and Reid felt blood trickle down his throat. "Ok?" she demanded, venom in her voice.

Reid nodded quickly in a jerky movement, unable to speak with her hand clamped tightly over his mouth.

"Good," she said, a smile on her face then. "I'm sorry for this, Spencer." she said quietly. Before he had a chance to wonder what she meant by that, she hit him hard in the side of the head and his world went black.

* * *

JJ sighed heavily, unlocking her front door. _What a day, _she thought tiredly. Reid had a stalker, Prentiss was shot and people were being murdered. From down the street she heard an engine start and turned instinctively. Which was a good thing because as she did, a gun went off and a bullet zoomed by her, embedding itself in the door right where she had just been standing.

Eyes widening in panic, JJ ran down the front steps and tried to get a good look at the car as it drove off into the shadows. It was too dark for her to see the license plate, but she could tell that it was an older model Mercury. _Why did that car seem familiar? _She wondered briefly before pulling out her cell phone and calling Hotch.

* * *

Sitting up tiredly in bed, Hotch answered his phone. "Hotchner." He frowned, listening as JJ explained what had happened in a panicked voice. "What? Ok, call the team, get everyone back to the round table room. I'll get forensics over to your house to get the bullet out of the door."

* * *

Morgan reached for his phone without opening his eyes. _What now?_ he wondered, flipping it open. "Morgan." he said.

"Morgan, it's JJ." her voice was shaking. "Hotch said to get the team together right now. Someone just took a shot at me."

He sat up straight, "What?"

"I'll explain when you get here. Just get Reid and get up here." she said, trying to force the tremor out of her voice.

"Alright, alright. We'll be there." Morgan said, pushing the blanket off of him and putting his shoes on. "Reid! Hey, Reid! C'mon, man, get up, we gotta get back to Quantico."

When Reid didn't respond, Morgan frowned and pushed open the door to his room. "Reid?" he asked, flipping on the light. "Reid?" The bed was empty, the blankets pushed back. "Oh, God." Morgan breathed. "Reid!"

He ran through the rest of the house in a panic. Reid was nowhere. Had the unsub taken him? …Maybe he'd just went out for a drive to clear his head. Or a walk. He tried to rationalize his disappearance, not wanting to think about the alternative. But Reid's car was still there. So was his gun and his phone. How had she gotten inside and taken Reid without him noticing?

Running to his car, he pulled out his phone and dialed Hotch while simultaneously speeding off in the direction of the BAU. "Hotch, it's Morgan. We've got a problem. Reid's missing."


	7. Warm Brown Eyes

**Look at that, two chapters in one day... I was bored, at home, and had some extra time since I just finished my second fanfic (which I will start posting soon... maybe tomorrow if I post chp. 8 then, so please read it and review if you get a chance...!)**

**A/N: Thanks again for all the positive reviews. :) I just wanted to warn you that there is some semigraphic violence in this chapter. So, anyway, please review! **

Ch. 7: Warm Brown Eyes

The mood at the BAU was grim. "Prentiss is in the hospital and now Reid's been kidnapped," Hotch said, looking around the rest of the team.

"I was _right there,_" Morgan said. "I should've heard something. Seen something. How did I miss that?"

"It's not your fault, Morgan." JJ said reassuringly. "You can't blame yourself. We're going to find him."

"We better." Morgan said angrily.

Garcia walked in then, "I've got a better image of the shooter," she announced. "The cameras caught a glimpse of her as she walked in."

"Garcia, you are a gem." JJ said.

She smiled, "Tell me something I don't know. Now bring our sweet genius back home."

The image Garcia showed them was a woman who was vaguely familiar to most of the team. Her short blonde hair was brushed back behind her ears. Her brown eyes shifting over her shoulder in the photo.

Morgan's jaw tightened. He recognized her immediately. "Reid and I talked to her after Charles Riley's body was found." he told the rest of the team. "Her name's Baker."

* * *

Standing outside of the house, Hotch motioned for Morgan to go on inside. He nearly snapped the door off the hinges. "Miss Baker!" Morgan called, "Miss Baker!"

They slowly entered the living room and Morgan closed his eyes. "Damn." he muttered. "That's her sister,"

The woman lay on the ground, brown eyes empty, blood staining her blonde hair. She had a cell phone in her hands.

Hotch came in behind him and shook his head. "Search the house," he ordered over his shoulder. "I want an APB put out on her immediately."

* * *

Reid came to slowly, his head pounding painfully. What had happened? Blinking he slowly became aware of someone else in the room.

She stood in front of him, watching. Her wide brown eyes intently focused on him. He tried to move, but his hands were handcuffed behind his back. He was sitting in a chair in a dim lit room.

He looked up and saw his attacker for the first time. He felt his stomach drop. How was this possible? He wondered. Her eyes were so familiar, so warm and yet so cold… so empty. Surely this must be some sort of mistake. She hadn't seemed unstable when he'd spoken to her.

Yet there she stood, still holding the knife she'd used to kill all those other women. Audrey Baker.

She smiled at him, "Spencer, you're awake." she crooned, her eyes never leaving his face. "I was so worried that I hit you too hard."

Biting his lip, Reid tried to stay calm. Why hadn't he noticed anything off about her when he and Morgan had interviewed her? She seemed so normal…

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Reid answered tiredly. He had to work to keep the tremor out of his voice.

She beamed at him. "Good." she said. "I'm sorry I had to hit you. But I wasn't sure if you would come with me, while Agent Morgan was there. Besides, you have so many… distractions." she almost spat the words. "Well, you had them at least. They're gone now. I took care of Terry and Michelle and Belinda and Cheryl. Agent Prentiss and Agent Jareau too. Then Abby… that was difficult. But I had to make sure you weren't getting sidetracked."

Reid's eyes widened. JJ? Had she shot her too? And… Abby. Oh, God. Had she killed her own sister because of him? "You killed your own sister?" he asked, "Why?"

Her eyes were suddenly angry. She slammed her fist against the side of his head twice. Blinking, he looked up at her in shock. "She's not important!" Audrey spat. "I am! You're not supposed to think about anyone else but me!"

Voice shaking, Reid nodded and said, "Ok, Audrey. I was just- you didn't have to kill them. They weren't distracting me."

Her jaw tightened. She hit him again, this time with the hilt of the knife. He was almost certain that he now had a concussion. "Don't lie to me, you whore!" she screamed. "You weren't paying any attention me, like you should have! You kissed my sister!"

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Audrey looked at him sadly. "I watched you. I was _always _there. I _always _loved you. But you never even saw me! You only saw Abby and all those other little sluts who were throwing themselves at you. And now, after all that I did so that we could be together, you still don't care about me!"

Reid's mind raced desperately, trying to think of some way to calm her down. Some way to make it out of this terrible situation alive. "I do care about you, Audrey. I never cared about those other women."

Tears welling in her eyes, Audrey shook her head. "No." she said. "You're lying. I saw how you looked at Abby. How you looked when you saw those other women's bodies. You're sad they're gone. I should've known… you don't love me." Her eyes were focused far away; she was talking more to herself than anyone else.

She glanced down at the knife in her hands, twisting and turning it over and over. "You don't love me." she repeated. Licking her lips, she looked up, her eyes focusing on him once again.

Terror causing his chest to tighten, Reid bit his lips. "Audrey, I -"

"Shut up!" she screamed, fire flaring back into her eyes. "You're just like Charles! You paid more attention to my sister than you did me!"

"Charles?" Reid asked, feeling his panic level reach a breaking point. Terrance Hawkins had killed Charles Riley, not Audrey… Hadn't he? Charles' murder had been the only one that Hawkins hadn't talked about in his confession…

Audrey wasn't paying attention to him at the moment though. She was staring down at the knife again. "He rejected me too." she whispered. Looking up again, her eyes were oddly calm.

She tightened her grip on the knife and slammed it into Reid's shoulder with more strength than he'd expected. He heard himself scream, felt the blood begin to seep out of him and then he felt her take the knife out of his arm.

_Please don't let her stab me again,_ he desperately prayed silently.

Her eyes were crazed then, and she stabbed him again, in the same arm. "Why. Don't. You. Love. Me?" she demanded, emphasizing each word with another stab.

Reid's breathing became more labored. His vision darkened. The pain was all he was aware of anymore. The pain and the terrifying knowledge that he was going to die.


	8. A Killer's Diary

**A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews! This chapter is kind of short and I apologize for that, I'll definately try to update as quickly as possible. Please review! :)**

Ch. 8: A Killer's Diary

They had searched Audrey Baker's house and found nothing that might lead them to where she had taken Reid. However, hidden under her mattress they had found a diary full of pictures and obsessive writings.

"These aren't all pictures of Reid," Morgan said, flipping through the book. "Look at this, these are of Charles Riley, her sister's fiancé."

"Terrance Hawkins killed him though," JJ said, looking at the pictures.

"That's what we assumed," Hotch said. "It fit Hawkins' MO, but he went through every detail of the other men's murders and said nothing about Riley in his confession."

"We thought it was because he didn't remember his murder. But that doesn't really fit with Hawkins' personality," Rossi said. "What if Audrey killed him when he rejected her and then she just got lucky when we assumed it was part of the other murders?"

"Reid and I talked to her," Morgan said angrily. "She was devastated over his death."

"Maybe she really was," Hotch pointed out. "Stalkers don't _want _to kill the object of their fantasy, but they sometimes feel like they have to."

"Ok, so what happens if she feels like Reid rejected her?" Morgan asked. "We've got to find her."

"We will." Hotch said. "Just keep looking through her diary. There might be something in it that points to where she took Reid."

* * *

Reid's world existed only in the pain. He wasn't sure how many times she had stabbed him. He knew only the pain and the blood loss that was making him dizzy. Would he pass out? Could he allow himself that luxury?

As much as he longed for the pain to go away, he wasn't ready to die. He couldn't let the dark take him when he still had to fight for his life. He had to find a way to get Audrey to trust him. But her paranoid personality would make that difficult. Still, there must be someway to regain her trust. Someway to extend his life.

She was standing in a corner, the bloody knife at her feet. Her sobs rang out in the empty room, an echo to his pain. She had loved him. But just like Charles, he had betrayed her love. He had let her disgusting sister distract him. Even with Abby dead, he had still been more concerned about her sister than he had been about her. The pain of his rejection broke her heart.

Yet so did what she had done to him. He hadn't wanted her, had never even loved her. Yet it had nearly killed her to hurt him. She truly felt bad about what she had done. His pained and ever shallower breaths were like daggers into her heart.

"I'm s-sorry," she whimpered over and over again. "I'm s-so sor-ry." He was still _her _Spencer. Still the brilliant man she loved and adored. If he didn't want her… who would? Maybe she should kill herself…

That would certainly make her heart stop aching. And she would never again have to face the painful realization that Spencer, her beloved Spencer, did not want her.

* * *

"There's nothing in here!" Morgan snapped, fist coming down onto the table, scattering papers. "It's been almost four hours, Hotch. And we still aren't any closer to finding her."

"Morgan, calm down." Hotch cautioned. "We are going to find Reid and we're going to bring him back alive. But to do that we need to focus. We need to know who this woman is in order to figure out where she took Reid."

Morgan knew he was right. Their best chance at finding Reid was somewhere in Audrey Baker's diary. But he felt so useless just sitting in the BAU, flipping through a killer's diary. He wanted to be out there looking for Reid. He wanted to be _doing _something.

"Found anything yet?" Garcia asked, looking utterly lost as she walked into the room holding her laptop.

"Nothing that'll tell us where she took Reid." JJ answered sadly, flipping yet another page of the diary. "Just a lot of scarily obsessed ramblings."

"I looked in Audrey Baker's past like you asked." She said, sitting down. "And this woman is crazy psycho. She has had four restraining orders against her from four different men in less than two years. When she was in college she got into a fight with another girl because she claimed the girl was trying to steal her boyfriend. Turns out, the guy didn't even know who Audrey was and she was just jealous. Her credit history, however, is completely clean. No suspicious purchases except about a month ago when she bought a gun."

"There aren't any other properties that she owns? A storage unit? Anything?" Rossi asked.

"Nope." Garcia said. "Just her house in D.C."

"And we've already searched hers and her sister's houses." Hotch said. "Looks like we've still got to find the answer in this diary."

Morgan frowned, angry. How could Reid have just been taken, right under his nose? He had been right there, in the next room and had done absolutely nothing to help his friend when he needed him. If they didn't find Reid in time, he would never be able to forgive himself. And with so little to go on, the odds were definitely against him.


	9. Surrender

**A/N: Wow, this is the second day in a row that I've posted two chapters in one day. Boredom really makes me move faster... Anyway, thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Please keep doing so! I love to hear what people think... Also, this chapter is even shorter than the last one. Maybe you can consider chapters 8 and 9 one chapter and we'll call it even, k? Only one more chapter and an epilogue to go! (which, if I have time, I might post both of those tomorrow. Or the day after... it really depends on whether or not I can get to a computer then)**

Ch. 9: Surrender

It was impossible for Reid to know how long he had been in that small, dark room. Hours? Days? He had lost track of time and was focusing only on breathing slowly and not passing out. Audrey had left a few minutes earlier and he wasn't sure when she would be back.

Honestly, he didn't care. He had given up trying to convince her that she could trust him, that he did care about her. He barely had the energy to keep his eyes open any more anyway. It was probably better that she had left.

What was the team doing? He wondered. Probably looking for him, he knew. Panicked. By now Morgan was blaming himself and getting angry that they hadn't found him yet. He wondered if they had figured out who'd taken him yet. It was possible. Would that get them any closer to finding him though?

Audrey was smart, even if she was totally unstable. She probably wouldn't be easy to catch. Maybe they wouldn't get to him in time and a hiker would find his body in the woods where she had dumped all the other bodies…

He heard footsteps and the door behind him was thrown open. For a brief moment, Reid hoped it was the team coming to rescue him. But as Audrey walked into his line of site he felt another small sliver of hope drip away from him. Was he ever going to get out of here?

That inkling of fear turned into a new surge of terror when he saw the gun in her hands. Was she going to shoot him? He wondered.

He didn't have to wonder for long. She lifted the gun in her shaking hands and pointed it at him. She had been crying since she'd stabbed him, but now she was dry eyed, her face stained from the previous bout of tears.

"I'm sorry." she said, her voice more steady than it had been earlier. "I have to do this." Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tightened her finger on the trigger, pulling it back before she had the chance to second guess herself.

* * *

The team sat hunched over, each pair of eyes moving across their own section of Audrey's diary. They had found references to seven men that she had stalked. She'd only killed Charles though. She had put three women in the hospital over her obsessive behavior, but until Charles and her sister had gotten engaged, she'd never killed anyone.

"Wait a minute," JJ said. "I think I've got something. You remember how Charles was missing for two days before his body was found? Listen to this: _Charles is just like all the others. He only acted like he cared about me. He was just trying to get closer to Abby. I couldn't handle that hurt any more. I had to make sure that he never hurt another woman like he hurt me. I took him to Brenan's. I don't think she noticed. The basement is solid concrete. I just hate myself now, though. I killed him. I loved Charles, but I killed him. Does that make me a bad person? I'm just not sure anymore. _She goes on about whether or not it was right to kill Charles for two more pages." JJ explained. "But the place she took him, Brenan's, what if she took Reid there too?"

"Garcia, do another search of Audrey's past. See if there's any connection to the name Brenan." Hotch ordered.

"On it." she said, hurrying out of the room.

The team sat up a little straighter in their seats. Could they be close to finding Reid? Or were they already too late?

* * *

Reid's abdomen exploded with new pain. She hadn't shot him in the head or chest like he expected. She'd shot him the gut. The new wound only added to his pain and his blood loss. He knew, somewhere in the back of his pain fogged mind, that he should be grateful that he was still alive. But it was hard to feel anything except the pain.

He struggled to keep his eyes open. Blood loss was making it harder for him to focus and the added pain didn't help any. He blinked several times, trying desperately to hold on to the little strength that he had left.

It was too much. He'd already lost a lot of blood and the pain was overwhelming. He finally gave in and surrendered to the darkness, sinking into unconsciousness.


	10. A Bloody Scene

**A/N: Almost done... only the epilogue left. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! **

Ch. 10: A Bloody Scene

Garcia came rushing back into the room moments later, her eyes wide. "Audrey shared a dorm room with a Jillian Brenan when she was in college," she said quickly. "Jillian was the only girl at the school who was deaf and the they were best friends. Her address is 451 West Plane Ave."

"Let's go." Hotch said, standing up quickly.

* * *

The drive seemed to take hours in Morgan's mind. He tapped his hand against the passenger door rhythmically, silently urging Hotch to drive faster. They had to get there in time. Reid could not die. He couldn't let his best friend down again.

"C'mon, Hotch, go faster!" Morgan snapped after five minutes.

"Morgan, calm down." Hotch ordered. "I'm already going 80. We'll be there in a few minutes."

"What if Reid doesn't have a few minutes?" Morgan demanded.

"We've already called the paramedics and given them the address. If he needs help, they'll be there when we get there. Now calm down."

He tightened his jaw and gripped the door handle, impatient. At least they were doing something now, instead of sitting around reading files. That was better than nothing, right? But what if they were too late already?

He stopped the thought before it could continue. They couldn't be late. Reid was depending on them, and he wasn't going to let him down again.

* * *

She was watching him with tears in her eyes. He'd be unconscious now for almost a half hour, but he was still alive. Still alive… She wondered if she should shoot him again, but shuddered at the thought. She'd hardly been able to do it the first time.

She had tried to shoot him in the head, had aimed for his head. But right before she pulled the trigger, she jerked the gun downward, unable to make the fatal shot. He would just have to bleed to death the same way Charles had.

She heard footsteps running down the stairs to the basement and frowned, picking up the gun. Was it Brenan? No, Brenan hadn't been home in almost a week. She was on vacation with her family in Hawaii. But then, who was it?

The door was forced open and the members of Spencer's team filed into the room. She felt her anger boil slightly at the sight of Agent Jareau. Hadn't she taken care of her earlier? But that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered were the four guns trained directly on her.

* * *

They ran down the stairs to the basement. Audrey's car was parked in the driveway, but all the lights in the house were off. Jillian Brenan wasn't home. The door was locked from the inside. Morgan had forced it open, desperation clear in his eyes. He had to get to Reid.

They rushed in on a bloody scene. Reid was handcuffed to a chair with his back to them, a pool of blood at his feet. It was hard to tell from that angle whether or not he was still alive, but it didn't look good at all. He head was slumped back on the chair and he was unconscious at least…

Audrey stood in front of him, holding the gun tightly in her hands. Her eyes flared when she saw JJ, but then, with a look of hopeless desperation, she lifted the gun and pointed it at Reid.

"Don't do it, Audrey." Morgan said, finger resting on the trigger of his own gun. "You don't have to kill him."

"But - he, he rejected me." she said, her eyes focused on Reid and no one else. "I l-loved him and he re-jected me!"

"We know, Audrey." Hotch said, inching closer to her. "We know you didn't want to kill Charles or any of those women, you were just trying to make it easier for you and Reid to be together. But it's over now, Audrey. Put the gun down."

She looked up at Hotch, her eyes wavering between him and Reid. She was considering what she should do. "He didn't love me." she said, anger flaring in her eyes for a moment. "He never did."

Morgan saw her finger twitch and didn't wait to find out if she would rethink firing or not. Four separate guns went off, hitting the young woman in the chest. She stumbled backward slightly and crumpled to the ground.

* * *

As if from somewhere far away, Reid heard gun shots. Had Audrey shot him again? He didn't feel pain though. A hand was at his throat. Feeling for a pulse, he realized. "Reid?" he heard his name being called, but he couldn't respond. It was like he was paralyzed.

"Reid, c'mon, kid, don't do this to me. Reid?" He recognized Morgan's voice then. Was he dreaming? Or had the team shown up? Had they saved him? Where was Audrey?

"Reid?" That was JJ's voice. She sounded so broken. Wait, JJ? Hadn't Audrey said she'd killed her? Did that mean… was he dead? Was that really possible?

Then he heard Hotch and Rossi. "Reid? Reid can you hear me?" Rossi asked. "Reid?"

"Reid?" Hotch said, sounding more worried than Reid could ever recall hearing him. And almost as broken as he had when they'd found him after Haley had been killed… but not quite.

So maybe he wasn't dead. But he still felt… heavy. Like he couldn't move. Couldn't speak. He could barely breathe.

"Get the paramedics down here now." Hotch ordered.

"His pulse is weak," Morgan said. "Hotch, is he gonna make it?"

Reid felt panicked then. Was he going to die anyway? After all that had happened? No. He couldn't die. He couldn't just give up like that.

"Hey, Hotch, he's moving." Morgan sounded relieved. "Kid, are you in there?" he heard him ask. "Can you hear me?"

Reid forced his lips to move, made himself respond. "M-Morgan…" he mumbled.

Morgan's face broke out into a grin. "He's awake!" he said, sounding elated. "Hold on, kid, the paramedics are coming. We're gonna get you to the hospital. You're gonna be ok."

"Wh-what about A-a-audrey?" he managed to ask, forcing the words out past the pain and weakness.

"She's gone, Reid." JJ answered slowly.

Reid's eyes fluttered for a moment, then he sighed in relief. She was gone. That meant she couldn't hurt him again.


	11. Epilogue: Going Home

**A/N: A HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed this story and added it to your favorites! I love you all! :) and now: the epilogue!**

Epilogue: Going Home

Reid sighed contentedly as he looked around the hospital room. He'd seen so many since he'd joined the BAU that it almost surprised him that they all looked exactly the same. Prentiss had been out of the hospital now for more than a week, but he'd had to stay longer because of his far more severe wounds. He still wore a sling around his left arm, but other than that he felt fine. Ready to be back at work, actually. The time away had nearly driven him crazy. He simply wasn't sure what to do with himself when he wasn't working a case.

Garcia was coming to drive him home. He was surprised she had volunteered, considering the amount of time she'd already spent with him in the hospital, breaking up her time between him and Prentiss when Prentiss had still been there.

"Ready to go, junior G-man?" she asked with a bright smile on her face. She carried a tin under one arm and an oversized orange bag under the other.

Reid just smiled, "I've been ready to leave this place since I got here," he said, following her out of the room gratefully. "Let's go."

"Alright then," she said. "Lead the way,"

The drive back to his house wasn't quiet, which was to be expected with Garcia driving him. She talked about everything that he'd missed while he was in the hospital, about Kevin and Morgan and computers.

She'd tried, unsuccessfully, to explain to him the popularity of Twilight when he'd spotted a copy of it in her glove compartment. And she'd also forced him to eat ten chocolate chip cookies on the drive. Not that he'd really needed much persuasion. Garcia made amazing cookies…

And as much as he welcomed her bubbling, happy babble, he'd welcomed the quiet of his own home even more. Sitting his keys down on the counter in the kitchen, he'd let himself fall onto the couch, careful of his still sore arm and smiled.

* * *

The next morning he woke up more rested than he'd been in a long time. Before he'd even finished his first cup of coffee his cell phone started ringing. It was JJ.

"Hey, Reid. We've got another case. And it's pretty bad. Hotch wants us all at the BAU in thirty minutes. Wheels up in an hour."

Reid felt a small smile creep across his face. It was good to be back.


End file.
